Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
MEMORIZE: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.” (Micah 7:8)
READ: Revelation 2:8-11
Of the seven churches the Lord wrote letters to, only two passed His assessment. The church at Smyrna was one of them. The Lord had nothing against them. May the Lord help you to a point where He will find nothing against you. A look at the history of Smyrna shows that it was founded, then destroyed, then rebuilt. The new rebuilt city was extremely beautiful. One of the finest of all Asian cities then, it was referred to as the ‘ornament’, ‘crown’ or ‘flower’ of Asia. One of its streets was called ‘street of gold’. It proudly harboured a stadium, a public library and a home of music. Several idols such as Zeus, Apollo and Aphrodite had their temples there. Smyrna was a trading city and there were several influential Jews there. This magnificent city was really a beehive of activities.
In His letter, the Lord introduced Himself as the One who was dead but is now alive. To any resident of Smyrna, this statement was something they could relate with, as Smyrna was once dead but then lived again. This speaks of capacity to bounce back after a fall. If a city was destroyed and after 300 years it bounced back formidably to the extent of becoming the envy of other cities of Asia, you too can bounce back from your backslidden state and overtake those ahead of you. This tells us that a fall is not final until the fallen accepts defeat. Has the devil struck you down and you are flat on the floor? Never accept defeat! You are down but not out!
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8). The power to bounce back is present in Christ. Peter fell to a point of denying Christ thrice but afterwards, he keyed into this grace and he bounced back. Are you a fallen soldier of the cross? Don’t stay down: Arise in the strength of Christ. You fall to rise, not rise to fall or stay fallen. No matter how badly you have fallen, you are bouncing back strong. That you fell does not mean you cannot be a winner or an ‘overcomer’. Virtually everyone who overcame or won once experienced a fall or decline. Get up! Stand up! Take your rightful place now. The power of the Lord is right behind you.
PRAYER POINT
Pray that God will revive weak believers and restore backsliders in our churches.
Bible in One year: Josh 4-6
MEMORIZE: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.” (Micah 7:8)
READ: Revelation 2:8-11
Of the seven churches the Lord wrote letters to, only two passed His assessment. The church at Smyrna was one of them. The Lord had nothing against them. May the Lord help you to a point where He will find nothing against you. A look at the history of Smyrna shows that it was founded, then destroyed, then rebuilt. The new rebuilt city was extremely beautiful. One of the finest of all Asian cities then, it was referred to as the ‘ornament’, ‘crown’ or ‘flower’ of Asia. One of its streets was called ‘street of gold’. It proudly harboured a stadium, a public library and a home of music. Several idols such as Zeus, Apollo and Aphrodite had their temples there. Smyrna was a trading city and there were several influential Jews there. This magnificent city was really a beehive of activities.
In His letter, the Lord introduced Himself as the One who was dead but is now alive. To any resident of Smyrna, this statement was something they could relate with, as Smyrna was once dead but then lived again. This speaks of capacity to bounce back after a fall. If a city was destroyed and after 300 years it bounced back formidably to the extent of becoming the envy of other cities of Asia, you too can bounce back from your backslidden state and overtake those ahead of you. This tells us that a fall is not final until the fallen accepts defeat. Has the devil struck you down and you are flat on the floor? Never accept defeat! You are down but not out!
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8). The power to bounce back is present in Christ. Peter fell to a point of denying Christ thrice but afterwards, he keyed into this grace and he bounced back. Are you a fallen soldier of the cross? Don’t stay down: Arise in the strength of Christ. You fall to rise, not rise to fall or stay fallen. No matter how badly you have fallen, you are bouncing back strong. That you fell does not mean you cannot be a winner or an ‘overcomer’. Virtually everyone who overcame or won once experienced a fall or decline. Get up! Stand up! Take your rightful place now. The power of the Lord is right behind you.
PRAYER POINT
Pray that God will revive weak believers and restore backsliders in our churches.
Bible in One year: Josh 4-6
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